Lisa Congdon Quotes

I create what I want to see.

One of the most exciting parts about being an artist is watching your body of work grow. And the more

As an artist, your goals are things like nonconformity and difference, neither of which is based on a shared set of measurable outcomes.

Daydreaming is also important time for artists.

Genius doesn't benefit from existing in a vacuum.

The truth is, we’re all like that, full of things even when we think we’re not.

the way to develop skill is to do the same thing over and over until you are able to do it with some amount of ease.

With rare exceptions, we become who we become as artists because we are influenced by other artists, not despite that fact. No idea is completely original, and being influenced by the work of other creative people and movements is part of the process of finding your voice.

Take a Break from the Internet To home in on your voice, you must first abandon the messages in your mind that tell you how you should be doing something, so that you can free yourself to create art that is authentic to you.

Find What Inspires You Inspiration does not always come to us in a flash. We often have to go in search of it, especially when we feel stuck. Finding inspiration means discovering the things that make you excited — even when they have nothing to do with your art practice. If you go on a trip, you might find inspiration in architecture, landscapes, or traditional patterns found in old cultures. Whatever speaks to you, infuse these visual stimuli from your life into your work. To work through anxieties or find out what ignites your interest, it helps to carry a journal to do daily entries. Maintaining a journal with both written and visual thoughts is a long-standing tradition among artists that helps you ignite creativity and work through blocks. There is no right or wrong way to keep a journal. You can use a book with lined or unlined pages; it can be a written diary with stream-of-consciousness thoughts or a purely visual notebook with pages of drawings. One thing that is helpful, though, is to choose a journal size that is portable, so that you can carry it around with you. Make a habit of writing or drawing in your journal every day. Some days you’ll have only a quick five minutes and other days a whole hour to devote to it. Don’t worry about whether your writing makes sense or your ideas or drawings are any good. Eventually a pattern will emerge that will help unlock your mission as an artist and even identify new avenues for exploration.

How could you live and have no story to tell? — Fyodor Dostoevsky In the end, we all become stories. — Margaret Atwood

While in mainstream culture, idiosyncrasies and differences are often seen as flaws; in our world — the world of artists — they are your strength. They are part of what embody your artistic “voice”: all of the characteristics that make your artwork distinct from the artwork of other artists, like how you use colors or symbols, how you apply lines and patterns, your subject matter choices, and what your work communicates.